Ukraine looks to be losing the 'battle for ammunition,' and its forces are being massively outshot by the Russians
Ukraine looks to be losing the 'battle for ammunition,' and its forces are being massively outshot by the Russians
NATO this week announced plans to boost its stockpile of artillery ammunition as Ukraine faces severe shortages on the battlefield.
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Celeste Wallander, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said this week that the Pentagon is aware of concerns shared by Ukraine's military leadership that its soldiers "do not have the stocks and the stores of ammunition that they require."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday announced new contracts worth $1.2 billion to buy around 220,000 155mm artillery shells, ammunition which hasplayed a key role in Ukraine's fight against Russia.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said its unclear if the NATO contracts will enable the alliance to send more ammunition to Ukraine or just fill its own stockpiles — both of which are important in the long run.
"Every aspect of logistics needs to be expedited," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in his nightly address to the nation earlier this month following a meeting with top military and political figures and an analysis of artillery shell availability.
Right now, the biggest unknown is the future of US security assistance to Ukraine; additional military funding has remained held up by Congress, despite repeated pleas of urgency from the Biden administration.
"The continued lack of funding has forced us to pause drawing down additional items from our inventories, given the implications for our own military readiness," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday.
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